


to be continued

by falloutmars



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Pining, its cute i think, jughead just wants to kiss betty, veronica gets involved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22091203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falloutmars/pseuds/falloutmars
Summary: Jughead Jones wants to kiss Betty Cooper.It’s simply a fact of life.He’ll never get to kiss Betty Cooper. That’s another fact of life. Because Betty is pretty, and Jughead is, well, Jughead. He’s weird, he wears a strange hat that he’s had since he was 5 years old, and he’s from the Southside. None of that exactly screams ‘kissable’. Even to someone as kind and amazing as Betty.–or, Jughead pines and Betty might not be as oblivious as he thinks.
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, brief mention of archie/veronica, brief mention of betty/trev
Comments: 10
Kudos: 80





	to be continued

Jughead Jones wants to kiss Betty Cooper.

It’s simply a fact of life. 

He’ll never get to kiss Betty Cooper. That’s another fact of life. Because Betty is pretty, and Jughead is, well, Jughead. He’s weird, he wears a strange hat that he’s had since he was 5 years old, and he’s from the Southside. None of that exactly screams ‘kissable’. Even to someone as kind and amazing as Betty.

So Jughead accepts the fact that Betty will _never_ want to kiss him. But at least he gets to be her friend. They’re best of friends, actually. Have been for almost as long as he’s had his beanie, along with Archie Andrews, and as of the past two years, Veronica Lodge. The four of them are practically inseparable, and the only friends Jughead really has. The only constant in his life. Oh, and that he _really_ wants to kiss Betty. 

He’s not sure when it started. Maybe it’s always been a part of him. Ever since he understood what kissing was, he just knew he wanted to kiss her. 

_“Mommy?” a tiny Jughead asks. “What did you do to Daddy just then?” He points to the front door, where FP just walked out of._

_His mom laughs. “Oh, little Jug. I kissed your Daddy. We love each other, sweetie.”_

_Jughead looks confused. He’s never seen his parents do that before. Affection in his family is rare, he’s realised that since starting kindergarten since everyday, he watches Mr and Mrs Andrews both hug Archie before waving him off at the gates. His parents never do that._

_“Why do you kiss someone?” he asks, puzzled._

_“You kiss someone when you love them, dear,” she replies, patting him on the head before she walks out the room._

_His mouth drops open in surprise. “Wow,” he gasps, talking to no one in particular. “I want to kiss Betty, then.”_

And ever since then, he always has. But as he got older, he accepted that he never would. That’s fine, he tells himself on an almost daily basis. It’s okay, he reminds himself when she goes on her first date. As long as she’s happy, he thinks when she tells the group about her first kiss with Trev from the football team. 

But it isn’t okay. He wants to be the one to kiss her and no matter how hard he tries to move away from it, he can’t. When he tries to go on dates himself, he spends the entire time thinking about her and subsequently feeling bad when his date is upset with the lack of attention he shows. So he gives up after one disastrous date, retreating to being best friends with the girl he secretly pines after. 

Except, when Veronica starts paying more attention to him - “You’re Betty’s friend, so you’re my friend,” she tells him one day, almost a year after she moved here - and she starts to dig up his buried truth. He always thought he was subtle, vague, with his feelings towards Betty. But apparently not. As Veronica so gracefully tells him. 

“You like Betty,” she says as a statement rather than a question. She barges into the Blue & Gold where he’d hiding out avoiding a ‘beginning of senior year’ assembly. 

He ignores what she says, fiddling with his pen as he attempts to divert her attention. “Shouldn’t you be in assembly?”

She rolls her eyes, leaning against the doorframe. “So should you, but that isn’t answering my question.” 

“It wasn’t a question,” he mumbles, leaning back in his chair, thinking she wouldn’t hear him. 

“Ah!” She claps her hands together excitedly. “That confirms it then.” _Shit_. 

Pretending to be oblivious, he narrows his eyes. “Confirms what?”

“You do like Betty! I knew it.”

“Of course I do, I thought most people did?” _Well played,_ he thinks. 

She shakes her head, letting out a breathy laugh. “Jughead. I’m not stupid, I can see it everyday.” 

“No offense, Veronica, but Archie has known us longer than you have, so if this _was_ true, wouldn’t he have said something to us?” He rolls his pen in between his thumb and forefinger, glad to have it to fiddle with while Veronica tries to interfere. 

“I love Archie, but he is more oblivious than Betty.” 

_True_. “Okay,” he sighs in defeat. “If, and only if, this is true, why do you care?”

“Because, Jughead, Betty is my best friend and I want the best for her.” She says it as if it’s the simplest thing in the world, smiling sweetly at him.

“But what about Trev?” he asks, confused. 

She tilts her head. “Didn’t you hear? They split up a couple weeks ago.” 

Truthfully, no, he hadn’t heard. He’d been trying to distance himself from them over the summer, finding it increasingly difficult to see the pair together. With Veronica and Archie also dating - albeit seemingly more successfully than Betty and Trev - the four of them were often out on double dates, leaving Jughead alone or an embarrassed and awkward fifth wheel. Luckily, he’d convinced Mr Andrews to give him some shifts on the building site doing manual labour, giving him less time _and_ more money. Which meant he didn’t have to keep seeing Betty and Trev together. Win-win, really. 

But now, they’ve split up. And Betty didn’t even tell him herself. What does that say about him and their friendship? 

He shakes his head at Veronica, face dropping. “No, I- She didn’t tell me.” 

Veronica seems oblivious herself. ‘Well, now might be your chance!”

“No, no. I need my friend back first.” He looks down. “Can you help me?”

“Of course.” She sits down next to him. “No time like the present.” 

–

The first half of the day is relatively uneventful. Him and Veronica devise some sort of plan to help him and Betty get closer again. She tells him that he isn’t a bad friend although she might not understand that right now as he has avoided her for the whole summer. Usually, he would get defensive, but actually, she’s right. She also tells him to apologize to her, and explain that he’s been busy helping Mr Andrews. When he tells her that that’s the _truth_ , she rolls her eyes and says, “Betty will appreciate the gesture.” Again, she’s right, so at lunch time when she excuses herself and Archie - not before giving him a sly wink - he jumps at his chance to have some alone time with Betty.

“Hey, uh, now the others are gone, how are you? Like really.” 

She smiles. “I’m fine, Jug, honestly. It was a long time coming, if I’m being honest.”

“Okay. I just-” He takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Betty. For not being there for you over the summer. I know it’s no excuse but I’ve been busy with Mr Andrews and-”

“Jughead.” She puts her hand up as a way of stopping him in his tracks. 

And he does, sending her a slightly phased look. “What?”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“But I want to and I’m sor-”

She interrupts him again. “Jug. No apologies.”

He swallows and nods. “Okay.”

“I think… I think I’ve neglected our friendship a bit since Trev. I got wrapped up in him and ignored everything else. Which is bad and I’m sorry. I want to make it up to you, Jug.” She flashes him a small, sad smile.

“Hey, no, it’s okay.” He gently places his hand on hers, which is resting on the table. It’s a small but meaningful gesture, one that makes his heart soar when she doesn’t move away. 

“If you say so. But still, I’m taking you to Pop’s after school.” 

He grins. “Maybe I can accept that.”

“Great!” She threads their fingers together, squeezing his hand lightly. Then, suddenly, she jumps up, saying, “Oh God, I have to go! I’ll meet you in the Blue & Gold after last period?” 

He nods his agreement, slightly shocked. As she goes to leave, she leans down and kisses his cheek and _oh my God_ he thinks he might die right there on the spot. His mind is racing, filled with thoughts of Betty, even more than before. 

Oh my God. She just _kissed_ him. Yes, it was on the cheek, but she kissed him. What the fuck? He was not expecting that to happen when Veronica told him to apologize. Damn, maybe she _does_ know what she’s talking about. 

Jughead spends the rest of the day slightly giddy. He sees Veronica in fourth period, and she gives him a knowing look. He sends her a thankful smile from across the room, and makes a mental note to thank her properly when he sees her next. It’s nice, really, to have someone like her look out for him. They might not have always gotten on, but he knows she has his and Betty’s best interests at heart, which is all they both need. 

After last period, Jughead makes his way to the Blue and Gold, still feeling rather happy with himself. Opening the door, he expects to see Betty, but instead, Veronica sits behind the desk, sat up straighter than he ever has before. _Could be worse_ , he thinks, remembering that earlier was partly down to her.

“Jughead! There you are!” Veronica says, sounding far too excited for his liking.

He enters the room slowly, hesitantly closing the door behind him. “I’m meant to be meeting Betty…” he says cautiously. 

“Yes, I know! That’s why I’m here, actually.”

“Right, well, where is she?” He turns around, looking through the glass pane in the door to see if he could see Betty anywhere. Of course he can’t.

Veronica shuffles slightly, making Jughead nervous. “Veronica…” he warns. 

She rolls her eyes, sighing. “She asked me to see if you’d meet her at Pop’s instead. At 7.”

He narrows his eyes. “And why were you so excited to tell me that? And why couldn’t she tell me that herself? Or, you know, text me?”

“Oh Jughead!” she laughs. “I thought I could help you.”

“Help me with what exactly?” He folds his arms defensively.

“This is a perfect opportunity! You and Betty alone in Pop’s, on something that could be considered a date…” Jughead stays silent. “Oh come on! You can’t be this dense.”

He huffs. “No, Veronica, I’m not. Betty has just broken up with her boyfriend, I can’t do anything yet. Or ever. I can’t risk messing up.”

Her face softens. “Jug, I wouldn’t set you up to fail, okay? Be yourself. She likes that, for some reason. It can be no pressure, for either of you. Just see how it goes.”

He nods and smiles. “Thanks. I know you mean well. And uh, she _did_ kiss me on the cheek earlier, so…” He trails off, shrugging. 

“Oh my God!” Veronica squeals, clapping her hands excitedly. Jughead just giggles, feeling himself go bright red. In response, she pats him affectionately on the shoulder on her way out. As she opens the door to walk out, she says, “One piece of advice: lose the hat.”

Jughead spends the next two hours jumping between extreme nervousness and an unusual amount of excitement. All he’s doing is going to meet his _best friend_ but for some reason, the fact that his best friend who he may or may not have had a crush on for the past, uh, 12 years kissed him on the cheek earlier and kind of asked him on a date. 

Okay, so he might be overreacting slightly. He knows this, but perhaps his 12 year long crush is taking over slightly. _It’s just Betty, it’s just Betty, it’s just Betty,_ he tells himself over and over. But it isn’t _just Betty_. She’s Betty Cooper and he’s pretty certain he’s in love with her, goddamnit. 

Eventually, after pacing around the trailer trying to decide which shirt to wear for almost twenty minutes whilst simultaneously trying and failing to calm his nerves, he decides on a light blue short sleeve button up paired with suspenders and the usual black jeans. And no hat. Luckily, it’s warm enough for both short sleeves and no hat. Plus, he somewhat trusts Veronica’s judgement now, so nervous or not, the hat stays at home. 

An hour before he’s due to meet Betty, he thinks about texting her to confirm but at the same time, he doesn’t want to come across as clingy or weirder than he already is. In other words, he overthinks it and decides against it. Instead, he leaves the trailer far too early. 

The walk from Sunnyside trailer park to Pop’s is about 15 minutes, or 5 minutes on his motorbike if he’s feeling particularly lazy. Today, the sun has yet to start setting, but it has cooled down slightly, which is almost perfect for Jughead. He hates the heat, he hates the cold, so early September evenings are his favourite. So he walks. 

He enjoys the journey, walking slowly so he isn’t _too_ early. It helps to calm his nerves slightly, and he continues attempting to convince himself that it’s _just_ Betty and that it’ll be _fine_ , albeit with little success. 

Reaching the door of Pop’s, he takes a deep breath before entering. The familiar sound of the bell reminds him where he is, helping to ground him. He glances around the diner, looking for Betty. When he doesn’t see her, he starts to panic before he remembers that, _oh_ , he’s over half an hour early. Not even Betty is ever this early.

With a sigh, Jughead seats himself in their usual booth. Almost immediately, Pop comes over with a knowing smile on his face.

“Jughead,” he greets. “You’re here earlier than expected.”

He moves his hand up to fiddle with his beanie, only to be met with hair. Oh right, no beanie tonight. “Yeah, I, uh, overestimated the walk time.”

Pop just laughs, not mentioning anything. “What can I get for you today?”

“Just a coffee for now, please.” Pop nods in response, leaving and returning in just a few moments with a mug of coffee.

Jughead takes a sip almost immediately, cursing himself when he burns his mouth. He imagines Betty giggling at his stupidity and _kissing_ him better. He smiles at the thought, before cursing himself _again_ for thinking such things about his best friend. 

_Ugh,_ he thinks, _Betty Cooper will be the death of me_. 

Just a few minutes later, still 10 minutes earlier than planned, he is proven right when she walks through the door. She’s wearing a collared dress in a colour not dissimilar to that of his shirt - light blue - with pink flowers dotted all over. She looks all kinds of adorable and hot and beautiful, and Jughead almost melts into a puddle on the spot. 

She glances over at him, giving him the cutest and brightest smile he has ever seen. He grins back at her like an idiot, internally panicking about what ‘potential date’ protocol is. Should he stand up and greet her? Should he pull the chair out for her- wait no he can’t, it’s a _booth_. Oh God, what does he do then? 

Luckily, he doesn’t get the chance to decide as she walks over to the counter to talk to Pop, saying something he can’t hear, before heading over to him and sliding into the seat opposite him. 

“Hi, Juggie,” she smiles. “Pop will be bringing us some food over for us soon.”

_She ordered for me?_ he thinks, _oh God, was I meant to do that before she got here?_

“Thanks, Betty,” he replies instead. 

“I hope you like what I ordered for you.” She grins at him, and he decides that she’s teasing him. 

He acts shocked. “Of course I will, Betty. You know I don’t discriminate when it comes to food.”

She laughs at that, making his heart soar. _Calm down, Jughead_. 

As if on cue, Pop walks over holding three plates and a tray with two milkshakes. He places everything on the table between them. 

“A double cheeseburger with onion rings, a single cheeseburger with fries, loaded fries, a chocolate milkshake and a vanilla milkshake. Enjoy, kids!”

“Thanks, Pop,” they reply at the same time, giggling as they do so. 

“You did this for me?” Jughead asks, slight shock showing in his voice. 

Betty blushes. “Yeah, I- I felt bad for abandoning you over the summer so Veronica helped me sort this out.”

_Damn, Veronica is good. Sneaky, but_ good.

“Thank you, Betty, I really appreciate it,” he beams. 

“You’re welcome, Jug. This is only the start of my plan, too.”

He smiles, sure he now has a blush that matches hers, but unsure of what else to say. _You look beautiful,_ he thinks, but doesn’t say. Instead, he snatches a fry from her plate, laughing when she steals an onion ring in retaliation.

“You haven’t got your hat on,” she points out through a mouthful of food. 

His hand goes up to touch his hair self consciously. “Uh, yeah. Didn’t feel like wearing it I guess.”

“I like it,” she shrugs, taking a bite of her burger. Nothing else is said after that, he just tries to calm his heart rate and eats another handful of fries.

The rest of the evening is filled with comfortable, flirty banter. It’s not unusual for them, but to Jughead, it feels like something has shifted. Maybe he’s reading too much into the situation, maybe he’s more hopeful than he thought, or maybe he’s _right_. 

Having finished two milkshakes each and unable to stomach more, he starts drinking coffee and she has just water. It’s getting late and Jughead doesn’t want to leave, but he knows Betty has a curfew and he wouldn’t want her missing it. Selfishly, he’s having such a good time and really doesn’t want her to leave. He suspects she doesn’t either, even the suspicion making him smile slightly. 

He glances at the red Coca-Cola clock on the wall of the diner. It reads almost 10pm. 

“Betty?” he says quietly. “It’s almost 10. Do you need to get home or…?” He trails off, glancing down at his hands instead of at her. 

She sighs, frowning slightly. “Yeah… I don’t want to.”

Looking up, he risks placing a reassuring hand on one of hers. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” 

“Yes, of course. We have stuff to do on the Blue and Gold.”

“Oh. Yeah. Right.” He clears his throat. “C’mon, let me walk you home.”

She nods, and they both stand up. Jughead heads over to the counter, and asks Pop for the bill. When he replies, telling him that _someone_ has already taken care of it, he turns to a smiley, embarrassed Betty, who just shrugs. 

They walk out together and head towards Betty’s house. Neither mention the bill, but Jughead’s giddy smile gives away his feelings, and he’s sure she’s noticed by now. Occasionally, their hands brush together and Jughead has to fight the urge to grab hers and intertwine their fingers. He manages not to, continuing to chat with her as normally as possible. 

The journey isn’t long enough for his liking, feeling deeply disappointed when they reach Betty’s in just over 10 minutes. Coming to a stop just out of sight of her house, Betty grabs Jughead’s hand to get him to stop too.

“Betty,” he breathes, looking down at their hands. “Thank you for tonight.” He swallows thickly. “You look beautiful, by the way.” 

She looks up at him, his eyes tentatively moving up to meet hers. She smiles bashfully. “Thank you, Jug.” 

He can feel himself blush, grateful for the dim lighting of the nearest street light hiding it from Betty. He squeezes her hand slightly, hoping it conveys at least some of his thoughts to her. Realistically, he knows he is going to have to say something if he _wants_ her to know. 

She gets there before him. 

“Jug,” she whispers. “I think I kind of like you,” 

His heart is beating so fast he thinks it might actually break out of his chest. _Oh my God,_ he thinks. _Am I dreaming?_

He leans his forehead on hers, still holding her hand. “I think I kind of like you, too.” 

She lets out a short breath and gives him a soft smile. “You know, I’m really glad you said that. I’ve been worried that you didn’t feel the same.”

He laughs quietly, bringing his spare hand up to cup her cheek. “Can I- Can I kiss you?” he asks, nervously, heart thudding so loud he’s surprised she can’t hear it.

Instead she nods, so he leans in, pressing his lips gently to hers. They both smile into the kiss, letting it get only slightly out of hand. Jughead can’t quite believe it. He thought he was dreaming before, but now he is almost entirely sure that this isn’t happening. 

After a minute or so, Betty leans back, still smiling. “I should probably get going, but…” She leans down and presses a short kiss to his lips. “To be continued?”

“To be continued,” he grins, feeling on top of the world, watching as she almost bounces to her house. 

Jughead Jones has now kissed Betty Cooper and that’s one fact of life that no one can change. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading - i hope you enjoyed it! and as always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.


End file.
